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linuxbashpdffindbash-function

how to pipe output from find to pdf viewer

Hello Bash Superheros,

I am trying to create a simple bash function that pipes the output from find to a a pdf viewer, similar but limited to evince. 

function findpapers {
    find ~/papers/ -name *$1* | evince 
}

The above function opens the viewer but does not display any of the desired files/paths. Ultimately, I would like to display all the pdf's outputted from find. A simple find command such as:

$ find /home/alex/papers/ -name *erebus*

creates an output like: 

/home/alex/papers/2000/rowe/seismic_and_acoustic_observations_at_mount_erebus_volcano_ross_island_antarctica.pdf

/home/alex/papers/2008/Jones/infrasonic_tracking_of_large_bubble_bursts_and_ash_venting_at_erebus_volcano_antarctica.pdf

Then the idea is to display those two pdf files in a viewer.

Any ideas or suggestions? I am using Linux Mint if that helps. Thanks heaps in advance!

Solution

  • You want the list of file names on the command line of evince, not in its standard input.

    Use

    evince $(find /home/alex/papers/ -name *erebus*)

    or

    find /home/alex/papers/ -name *erebus* | xargs evince

    On linux (or any OS that uses the gnu versions of find and xargs) , if there is any chance the file names might contain spaces, better use

    find /home/alex/papers/ -name *erebus* -print0 | xargs -0 evince